tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48193482504880010582016-10-17T05:39:23.269-07:00GVI Marine Conservation and Community Development Program FijiWelcome to GVI Fiji's Community Development Programme blog. Here you can keep up to date with our projects in Fiji.Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12398472209765445922noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-30181122643190092802014-01-05T21:54:00.000-08:002014-01-05T21:57:47.411-08:00Thank you and Happy New Year!<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9maJ9qG0Kxc/UsnospKjQeI/AAAAAAAAA0g/eD_n1y-lVkc/s1600/edit+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9maJ9qG0Kxc/UsnospKjQeI/AAAAAAAAA0g/eD_n1y-lVkc/s1600/edit+copy.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Out here in the islands, GVI Fiji has had an extremely productive and challenging 2013. We would like to thank all the volunteers, staff members, communities, partners, organisations, and government agencies that made our achievements last year possible.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Here are some of our highlights from 2013:</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Volunteers fundraise,distribute food aid, and carry out repairs to infrastructure &nbsp;in the aftermath of Cyclone Evan in the northern Yasawas</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>GVI Fiji is incorporated as a Fiji Non-profit organization</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>MOU with the Fiji Ministry of Youth and Sports signed</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>MWH Water Project adds over 55,000 litres of new capacity across 5 villages and adds over 130,000 litres of water capacity through efficiency and system repairs.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Over 500,000 Litres of Rainwater Collection Capacity Added since program launch in 2011</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>GVI Licence to Assist in Fiji Schools Approved</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Launch of Education Enrichment and Community support program in Silana Village</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>GVI becomes a member of FLMMA</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>GVI joins FLMMA Executive Committee</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>MOU signed with Silana Youth Group</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Development of Babale base</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Tabu areas of the Northern Yasawa's mapped in GIS</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Marine Conservation National Scholarship program launched</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Launch of Waste Management Village Initiative in Silana</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>28 Fish Wardens Trained</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>330,000 hours of student contact time logged</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Further development of the GVI Education Enrichment 1-on-1 program in partner schools yields&nbsp; impressive results in student performance</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>School Teacher Professional Development initiatives launched</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Income generation and upcycling training and facilitation integrated into community programs</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Nacula Yaubula Management Committee formed</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Composting Toilets built at RMMS School</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Baseline biodiversity and reef health surveys carried out across 10 different village fishing grounds</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Launch of the Honor Fiji Journey&nbsp;</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Over 1590 hours of computer literacy education provided in schools</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Four phases of Spinner dolphin research completed in partnership with WDC</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Introduction of Chicken Coops project in Silana Village</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>Over $30,000 Fijian Dollars raised by the GVI Fiji Charitable Trust</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for your ongoing support and for making 2013 what it was!</span><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: large;">In 2014 we will be launching a new blog platform which will be announced shortly, so we can continue to keep you up to date with our Fiji Programs</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy New year!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></div><div style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>GVI Fiji</i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M5SjOmjQ-jM/Usno2jy-qcI/AAAAAAAAA04/P5AF8MsP78M/s1600/IMG_7263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M5SjOmjQ-jM/Usno2jy-qcI/AAAAAAAAA04/P5AF8MsP78M/s1600/IMG_7263.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WNjwfZrbSO4/UsnosaOgWnI/AAAAAAAAA0c/DYMEoF3mmyg/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WNjwfZrbSO4/UsnosaOgWnI/AAAAAAAAA0c/DYMEoF3mmyg/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--mXYoLHnD_8/Usnohufg8sI/AAAAAAAAA0I/cTJsyKHtuIg/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--mXYoLHnD_8/Usnohufg8sI/AAAAAAAAA0I/cTJsyKHtuIg/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_q745R1t-QM/Usnot7PVsUI/AAAAAAAAA0o/RRvLJjEXx9g/s1600/composting+toilets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_q745R1t-QM/Usnot7PVsUI/AAAAAAAAA0o/RRvLJjEXx9g/s1600/composting+toilets.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Io4c4w5Un0/Usno6Z2f_PI/AAAAAAAAA1A/yhP2n-UIqlA/s1600/IMG_3959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Io4c4w5Un0/Usno6Z2f_PI/AAAAAAAAA1A/yhP2n-UIqlA/s1600/IMG_3959.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4pj7WSG1hiI/UsnolLEdP3I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/IjCpKTDM38s/s1600/DSC00779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4pj7WSG1hiI/UsnolLEdP3I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/IjCpKTDM38s/s1600/DSC00779.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Uu_Uc32eMM/Usnoxs3v_bI/AAAAAAAAA0w/P0C4tnRtKtk/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Uu_Uc32eMM/Usnoxs3v_bI/AAAAAAAAA0w/P0C4tnRtKtk/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Daniel Lundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04091886906471073496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-53937523002339847482013-11-16T23:19:00.001-08:002013-11-16T23:19:30.426-08:00Rescue, Water Tanks and Goodbyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">This week has been a week of screaming, drowning, dragging and fun during the practical side of the rescue diver course. The Marine team interns had to act out different scenarios and see who you want to be your rescuer when you’re really in trouble, and who you want to stay away! The rest of the Marine team have been busy surveying the Matacawa Levu dive sites, carrying out their LIT and IBT surveys for us to feed back to the village. It’s also been a busy week for fish identifications, learning all 63 species on GVI’s targeted list has caused a lot of hair to be pulled out, but everyone’s getting there and progressing surprisingly well with the underwater point outs! The team also got to dive Cathedral causing massive excitement with the promise of seeing white tips, black tips, silvertips, eels, rays, and lemon sharks. And we weren’t disappointed; the abundance of sharks was a great end to some of the volunteer’s final days on base. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">The construction team has had a productive week of installing rainwater harvesting systems Nacula village and getting very well fed by the locals, much to the envy of the other projects! All in all a great week on base, yet more beautiful sunsets with clear skies, calm waters (ish) and a great team to share it with. However, it has also been a sad week, with many of the longer term volunteer’s leaving, they will be missed but they should be proud of the great work they’ve achieved in the past months.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Fx-mVbaY60/Uoht4d1V7OI/AAAAAAAAAfE/zDSjx7V0tEA/s1600/1382055_10151668932215592_1448872165_n+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Fx-mVbaY60/Uoht4d1V7OI/AAAAAAAAAfE/zDSjx7V0tEA/s320/1382055_10151668932215592_1448872165_n+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div></div>GVI Tovutonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-16933895829032963942013-11-11T14:14:00.000-08:002013-11-11T14:14:05.776-08:00Half Way Point for Marine Interns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">It is the start of the seventh week of my marine internship and as divers and researchers we have all come a long way. Not only can we identify an array of Benthic life forms and invertebrates, we have now also been taught to survey them through roving diver invertebrate surveys (if you see an invertebrate, you record it) and line intercept transects, which involve laying down 10m of tape measure and recording the different benthic life forms found underneath.&nbsp;Every week that we dive there is always something new to see. &nbsp;This week we have seen Humphead Wrasse, Nurse Sharks, Bumphead Parrotfish and a load of cool Nudi Branchs that we've never spotted before. &nbsp;We will also be starting our rescue diver course in the next week, the final qualification that most of the volunteers will be receiving out here and the final step before our Divemasters for those on the internship. As our internship progresses, our work is more and more directed towards helping prepare us for our placements in dive resorts around Fiji; we have begun writing risk assessments and emergency action plans and will soon have to run survey days and even take over base for a day where we will be responsible for the health and safety of everyone on base, as well as help solve any problems that arise (and they probably will!)&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Last Friday, on October 25th, we were invited to a bazaar on the island Vuaki to raise money for the community. We sat with the locals and drank kava and many of us were invited to get up and dance to the music they were playing on ukuleles and drums. We indulged ourselves in lots of incredible food - there was pork curry, fish and even octopus being passed around! We ate until we were full then rejoined the kava circle where I learned a lot about the village itself and where our donations would be going. &nbsp;We also attended a&nbsp;village lunch on November 2nd which was an annual celebration of those who have passed away. We cooked a stir fry and took it as a contribution and enjoyed a variety of Fijian foods. It was a great opportunity to connect with the people who have lived on our island their entire lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Having been on base for 6 weeks, I have had an unforgettable time. Everything we have seen and done has been so cool, and I think we have all learned a lot out here. The friends and memories I have made will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I am glad I have another six weeks out here where I will make many many more!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div></div>GVI Tovutonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-61358095835854321482013-11-10T18:06:00.003-08:002013-11-10T18:06:42.902-08:00Ensuring consistent and effective provision for pupils at Navunisea School, Silana.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt 36.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">At Navunisea School, Silana there is no library and very few books, which has impeded the development of reading skills. GVI volunteers provide assistance to the teachers through daily 1-1 reading and 1-1 remedial support. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Due to a frequent arrival of new volunteers GVI wants to ensure consistent and effective provision for the pupils receiving 1-1 support. In addition, GVI wanted to ensure that volunteers could work effectively in a short amount of time.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Firstly we extracted the learning aims for each class from the teachers so that we had clear goals for what the children needed to achieve. This has also aided us in identifying gaps in children’s learning.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ye4rRK2YAHk/UoA7UbBsHAI/AAAAAAAAAc8/RCcFIacZ6BA/s1600/folder+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ye4rRK2YAHk/UoA7UbBsHAI/AAAAAAAAAc8/RCcFIacZ6BA/s320/folder+3.JPG" width="243" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Arial Narrow&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Then GVI scholar Tash streamlined the way volunteers recorded their lessons, pupil progress and pupil achievements. There are now clear working folders so that new volunteers can see what has been put in place before their arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VW4yOH9Ghv8/UoA7UZcyjvI/AAAAAAAAAdE/DseZZvz1guc/s1600/folder+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VW4yOH9Ghv8/UoA7UZcyjvI/AAAAAAAAAdE/DseZZvz1guc/s320/folder+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Arial Narrow&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Previously GVI had not given the same 1-1 support for Kindi. However, scholar Tash and volunteer Emma have devised a way of providing 1-1 phonic and numeracy support for pupils in Kindi. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Arial Narrow&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">&nbsp;To date GVI has also devised a way of assessing pupil progress at the beginning and end of each term. These assessments are kinaesthetic and encourage pupils to demonstrate their learning through practical tasks, rather than filling in sheets.&nbsp; The assessment combined with volunteer checklists helps teachers and volunteers see clear pupil progression and see who no longer needs the support of the 1-1 programme. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Arial Narrow&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The next step for GVI is to identify Gifted &amp; Talented pupils. We would aim to stretch these pupils and provide them with a broader variety of texts, which they would not normally come across. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Arial Narrow&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XuGEjZ6O8Eg/UoA7UT-A2kI/AAAAAAAAAdA/AjMUarfF0Fo/s1600/folders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XuGEjZ6O8Eg/UoA7UT-A2kI/AAAAAAAAAdA/AjMUarfF0Fo/s320/folders.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9pt; text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">“The first thing I did with the children was to take them individually and assess their knowledge of numeracy and literacy. From there I realised the children needed help in these areas, so I made individual work books with the alphabet and numbers 1-10. I also made alphabet and number cards so I could hold them up and assist the children to be able to recognise them. I have written student profiles stating their strong points of numeracy and literacy and their weaknesses so I know what I need to work on with the children.<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a>” – Emma, GVI Volunteer.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-2048494113627515352013-11-04T19:59:00.001-08:002013-11-10T16:32:43.162-08:00My Stay in Vuaki Village<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">After a boat trip, we arrived on the beach of Vuaki at about 3 pm. We, the Construction Team, were invited to stay in the village for one night. We walked the path from the beach into the village arrived directly at Bill’s house. That’s the house where I stayed.</span></div><br />I brought my backpack into the room Bill and his wife sat aside for me. In my room was a bed with a thick mattress. Pretty cool! In the living room the GVI volunteers and staff snacked on some cookies and enjoyed a nice talk with Bill’s wife, children (Simone – two years, Napoleon – six months) and some relatives before we went for seeing how the men built a bure (traditional Fijian home) with traditional tools like sticks and stones.<br /><br />At about 5:45 pm the main point of the evening started. We went along another path to another village. There was a big celebration. After a thirty-minute walk through the woods, we arrived in Long Beach. The women cooked while men pounded kava. I tried to help pound kava. To do this, you take your hand around an iron stick and push the stick with a lot of power onto the kava root while it is an iron container. I did it only about three times, but I did it. :)<br /><br />When the food was ready to eat, we took a seat in a new-but-not-completely-set-up house. The sitting area was 5-6 meters long. There were tablecloths (on the floor) and on it the plates. Just plates, no cutlery. I liked it. :) People sat on both sides on the tablecloths. And then it came, the part I looked forward to most (the food)! Yeah!! There was octopus, fish, crabs, pork, sticks with small chillies. It was delicious. Maybe it was the best fish I’ve ever eaten. After four plates, I washed my hands in a small bowl with water, left the food house, and entered a traditional cottage.<br /><br />This place had a special atmosphere for me. Inside were three women. The wood and leaf walls were decorated with materials. In the middle of the women stood an oil lamp that gave just enough light to see, not too much and not too little, just enough to create a great atmosphere. During one or two mugs of black tea we had nice talks. It was a pretty good moment. At about 10pm we went back along the path with the same children and torches. I slept well.<br /><br />For breakfast I had freshly baked coconut cake which gave my stay a nice end. The people in Vuaki are very friendly. They laugh a lot and make you feel like they love to have you in their home. They are also very good cooks. My stay was traditional. Thank you for the great experience.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">Michael Sander (AKA ‘The Machine’), Germany</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">4 week Yasawa Construction Volunteer</div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>GVI Tovutonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-87265670030103686672013-11-04T15:11:00.000-08:002013-11-04T15:11:47.287-08:00Geography With Class 3 + 4<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For my first week teaching class 3 and 4, ages 8 - 10 years old, at Navunisea Primary School, Cara (the other volunteer in class 3 and 4) and myself decided to do a geography lesson.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IjzVGIA3_-U/UngpGw1m9mI/AAAAAAAAAcU/MvIjjPezG4w/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IjzVGIA3_-U/UngpGw1m9mI/AAAAAAAAAcU/MvIjjPezG4w/s320/photo+1+(2).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div>Cara had done a great job at drawing a map of the world, and painted the continents in different colors to make it more visual. I started with introducing the notion of the world being made up of 6 continents<span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span>&nbsp;Asia, Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica. We went through the pronunciation of each continent several times and the students repeated each word.&nbsp;</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pz88J8yFQQM/UngpIOl9UxI/AAAAAAAAAcc/F3mx9HZskZ4/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pz88J8yFQQM/UngpIOl9UxI/AAAAAAAAAcc/F3mx9HZskZ4/s320/photo+2+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I then introduced the notion of country. I started with Fiji, so they could&nbsp;relate. I asked what the capital city of Fiji was, and what the Fijian flag looked like. I then told them that Cara was from another country, called Germany, and that the capital city of Germany was Berlin. I then showed them what the German flag looked like. I am from France, so we went over the same details for France as well as 3 other countries; the USA, Brazil, and China.</div><div><br /></div><div>We practiced the pronunciation of each country and capital city, as well as the colors of their different flags.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I had made stickers for each flag and each continent. I placed each flag on the map to then show where each country was. To make it more interactive, I came up with a little exercise: I told them that France was in Europe and asked who wanted to come to the blackboard and place Europe on the map. They had to use the colors assigned to each continent to determine where each continent was. All the hands in the class were up and all the kids wanted to come and participate.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-awMRr6jZkJg/UngpISgSz6I/AAAAAAAAAck/1-OiQZul0hY/s1600/Nathale+Geography.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-awMRr6jZkJg/UngpISgSz6I/AAAAAAAAAck/1-OiQZul0hY/s320/Nathale+Geography.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was so rewarding since most these notions were totally new to them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, in the afternoon for arts and crafts class I asked them to pick a flag of their choice and make a collage to represent that flag.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1em;">It was a great day!</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Now all the new volunteers that will come to the class can keep showing the kids where they are from and therefore the kids will keep practicing.&nbsp;</div></div><div><br /></div><div>-Nathalie, 3 week Expedition Volunteer Dawusamu&nbsp;</div><div>Paris, France</div></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-4193966951231454162013-11-04T14:50:00.004-08:002013-11-04T15:51:28.451-08:00Wednesdays Are The Best Days <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Every Wednesday I wake up and have 2 cups of coffee, with extra coffee, opposed to the normal one. Why am the excess you may ask? Because Wednesday is Kids Club day, and you need to bring your A game. School runs the same, for the exception of the occasional, and by occasional I mean every 5 minute, interruption from a Silana based child screaming 'KIDS CLUB 4:00 TODAY!', note this is more of a proclamation rather than a question.&nbsp;</span><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnpqquz_BHI/UngjzkcpehI/AAAAAAAAAbU/RgZuAaNgKFw/s1600/Kids+Club+Face+Paint.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnpqquz_BHI/UngjzkcpehI/AAAAAAAAAbU/RgZuAaNgKFw/s400/Kids+Club+Face+Paint.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Every Wednesday at 4:00 pm I get a team together to help gather all the kids in the community hall for the magic of Kids Club. Four sessions in and I am still bewildered by the kids endless excitement, and ability to clean things up in the same amount of time they destroy them, which is approximately 2 minutes when your back is turned. I have also learned to never underestimate the power of 1 child running around the village screaming "kids club", because while we always start with approximately 10 kids there, in a blink of an eye about 30 - 40 more come out of the woodwork.&nbsp;</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">You see the challenge of kids club is:</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">1. Always preparing for at least 40 children to show up</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">2. Planning an activity you can explain to children who have limited English</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">3. Making sure that activity is suitable for ages 2 - 26</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Week one, my silly silly naive self thought 'Musical Chairs! What a great idea!'. We passed out a piece of cardboard to each child, who then proceeded to play their own game of 'collect the most amount of cardboard possible, don't let anything stop you, this is my hunger games'. Our dinky little speakers clearly were not good enough, and the next thing you know a family walks in with a sound system. Thus musical chairs turned into 'musical kids club 3 hour dance party', which was no problem at all. I basically got to live out my dream of being a bar mitzvah MC.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9esRztxm764/Ungj4ie-bEI/AAAAAAAAAbw/jkAGGW5aN2k/s1600/Kids+Club+Making+Flags.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9esRztxm764/Ungj4ie-bEI/AAAAAAAAAbw/jkAGGW5aN2k/s400/Kids+Club+Making+Flags.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Week two! So knowledgeable. So ready. Went prepared with enough paint and flags for the kids to design, and face paint to celebrate Fiji day! Paint ended up on bodies, and puppies, and pretty much anywhere but the flags. The boys all got turned into super hero's, so obviously there was a lot of jumping from rafters and busting through windows. Highlight of the week, the women lining up to get their faces painted as well, and this ray of sunshine in the photo below who does the best photobombs.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0B_s7ihO7wk/Ungj4P7QcjI/AAAAAAAAAbo/w8_YiVBoc_I/s1600/Kids+Club+Sunshine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0B_s7ihO7wk/Ungj4P7QcjI/AAAAAAAAAbo/w8_YiVBoc_I/s400/Kids+Club+Sunshine.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Week 3, invincible at this point, right? Rainy day kids club, it must slow them down. I brought along a fish puzzle a volunteer made for Class 1 + 2's art project, and paper doll chains to color in. I even carried over enough scrap paper to make sure paint ended up no where but the fish!&nbsp;</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">. . . we ended up giving each other mustache and uni-brows once the 25 fish puzzles and 50 paper dolls ran out. <br /><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Week 4: The perfect solution for a week of rain, movie day. I really wanted 'The Lion King' because bright colors and singing animals is really all you need to be happy in life. Unfortunately we did not have a copy here, appalling I know, so we went with probably the 108th best option; 'Rio'. Watching the kids reaction to something they clearly did not understand was the most entertaining movie I have ever seen. As Steve so delicately put it 'nothing brings down the house like a colorful bird bouncing off a ladies behind to the beat of a song'.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYLjXmPgFS8/Ungj3WoOyCI/AAAAAAAAAbk/m86HFyGinwU/s1600/Kids+Club+Movie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYLjXmPgFS8/Ungj3WoOyCI/AAAAAAAAAbk/m86HFyGinwU/s400/Kids+Club+Movie.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">As exhausting as kids club can be, it is still my favorite time week after week. I have never laughed so hard and still cannot fathom how much respect and cooperation comes from a group of kids you can only share 10 words with.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">-Jenna, Community Scholar Dawasamu</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">New York, USA</div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-46533597357631204982013-11-04T14:41:00.001-08:002013-11-04T14:41:19.271-08:00Sports Day at Navunisea District School<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The other day, Navunisea school held a special event called "Sports Day". &nbsp;What a way to spend the day! &nbsp;Much like the sports days I remember from my own primary school days, it was an opportunity for the kids to let loose and have a good time. &nbsp;The school was divided into four 'houses': red, green, blue, and yellow. &nbsp;Each house had students from each age group, who competed in a series of races and relays.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBRRjzJ7HME/UngiMKs1xMI/AAAAAAAAAbI/EIvstDuZALE/s1600/Sports+Day+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBRRjzJ7HME/UngiMKs1xMI/AAAAAAAAAbI/EIvstDuZALE/s400/Sports+Day+2.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Walking around the field, you could not help but be drawn in by the infectious energy. &nbsp;As each race heat came and went, the excitement grew. &nbsp;Kids stood all around the track cheering for their teams, screaming as the runners went by. The day started with 1500m races for the 12-14 year olds, followed by 50m races for ages 6-11. &nbsp;The excitement was so great that the 6 year olds running the first 50m race completely missed the finish line and kept running around the track. &nbsp;The whole crowd completely loved it, laughing and chasing the kids all the way around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_rqYJT6HDuQ/UngiJwGbGoI/AAAAAAAAAbA/KckimZLb3i8/s1600/Sports+Day.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_rqYJT6HDuQ/UngiJwGbGoI/AAAAAAAAAbA/KckimZLb3i8/s400/Sports+Day.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">I got to work with the teachers and other volunteers to help tally scores and run the races. &nbsp;Cheering along with the students, I had a great time working at the finish line. &nbsp;It was great getting to spend more time with the kids from my class, playing outside and skipping rope. &nbsp;Starting races was really fun too. &nbsp;At the starting line, the kids joked with each other as they warmed up. &nbsp;Some got so excited that they started running before the signal, which was always entertaining. &nbsp;The day was a lot of fun, and a well-deserved break from classwork.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Steve Nemroff, USA</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">&nbsp;4 week Education Volunteer Dawasamu</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">&nbsp;</div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-40793804082849225282013-11-04T14:36:00.001-08:002013-11-04T14:36:33.505-08:00 GVI Community HallIn October this year GVI were approached by members of Silana Youth Group about constructing a new building in the village. The 'GVI Community Hall' will comprise of 2 bathrooms, an office and an open space for giving outreach presentations, training and socializing with the community. &nbsp;Some of our Expedition volunteers have had the opportunity to get involved with the construction work over the past few weeks, here Kyle gives us an update....<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oqiJxsZnj78/UnggiyE4vrI/AAAAAAAAAas/yvINS8xQQhQ/s1600/kyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oqiJxsZnj78/UnggiyE4vrI/AAAAAAAAAas/yvINS8xQQhQ/s400/kyle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />"I've spent two weeks here in Silana so far and the majority of my time has been split between teaching in the school and working in the village with the Youth Group. I have enjoyed my time spent in both areas, but the construction work in the village is very enjoyable at the moment, as we are currently building a new buree for base.<br /><br />&nbsp;My first day working with the men involved shoveling sand into wheelbarrows to fill up the foundation of the new building. Although this is pretty mindless work, the talk between the men in the village keeps it entertaining. We filled up the foundation until it was level for a couple of days. When that was finished, we went to a nearby village to get gravel to mix with cement powder and water to create concrete in order to solidify the base of the structure and surrounding walls. The past couple of days we have been digging holes for beams and posts that will hold the walls and ceiling up, and laying more cement onto the side structure of the building. So far it has been both demanding and enjoyable and I can only hope to be here long enough to see the finished product. The men estimate that the physical structure of the building will be done in around 2 - 3 weeks.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YraBHXu4HME/UnggoJY8xiI/AAAAAAAAAa0/l5CFo7YR8R8/s1600/Kyle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YraBHXu4HME/UnggoJY8xiI/AAAAAAAAAa0/l5CFo7YR8R8/s400/Kyle.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;Kyle, 4 week Expedition Volunteer Dawusamu Boston, USANadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-14374436301170594452013-10-28T15:02:00.000-07:002013-11-04T15:03:23.172-08:00Gaining 170 Family Members...<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">From July-August Jenna volunteered on our Expedition program in the Yasawas for 8 weeks. She returned to Fiji at the end of September and joined our Dawasamu base as a Community Scholar. Here she shares her experience of arriving in the village....</span></b><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"I had all sorts of anxiety upon arriving in Fiji again. It was hard to think I was so close to Tovuto Base and Ratu Meli Memorial School, but also knowing I was going to an entirely new place....</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I boarded my 5 hour bus to Suva excited to see what lay ahead. Luckily for me it was a bag of extra cheese twistes at a rest stop, 5 hours is a long time with out snacks.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I instantaneously felt a weight off my shoulders upon arriving in Suva, a huge part of that is because how incredible GVI's staff are.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The more I learned about the base I would soon be living on, and the responsibilities I would soon have as 'Community Scholar / Assistant Project Leader', the more my nervous anxiety turned into excitement.</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I finally made it to Silana village, in the Dawusamu District, on the mainland (for those of you wanting to google map it), and it exceeded my expectations.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It's beautiful in an entirely different way to the Yasawas. Instead of white sandy beaches there is volcanic black sand and hidden waterfalls you can swim in. As well as the warmest, most caring people every corner you turn.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I was eager to explore but was not allowed until my 'Sevu Sevu', a welcome ceremony / acceptance to the village where I would present a root of Kava to the chief of the village.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6lZPoAAH6tU/UngmwPNgxlI/AAAAAAAAAcA/XFBy8-621AY/s1600/Gaining+170+Family+Members+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6lZPoAAH6tU/UngmwPNgxlI/AAAAAAAAAcA/XFBy8-621AY/s400/Gaining+170+Family+Members+1.png" width="305" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">At night we went to a birthday tea which consisted of 2 rows of table cloth on the floor covered in plates of all different types of cake. Shortly after we headed to my Sevu Sevu in the hall where I presented the village with a kava root.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The next 6 hours were a blur of endless kava, singing, getting lost, and Fijian dancing as well as being told 'welcome to the family' by more people then I can process. I've never felt so at home.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I am still overwhelmed with joy and shock at how welcoming every member of Silana has been.</span><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The best part of the weekend still lay ahead, when I was introduced to my personal Fijian family; Mirama and little Kiani and Kelerea, also know as my best buddies.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I am so excited to get to know them, as well as the entirety of Silana Village, better as these next 2 months go by.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSvi7qh6KpQ/UngmxqyMJdI/AAAAAAAAAcI/cORhPbmrk8A/s1600/Gaining+170+Family+Members+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSvi7qh6KpQ/UngmxqyMJdI/AAAAAAAAAcI/cORhPbmrk8A/s400/Gaining+170+Family+Members+2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">- Jenna, Community Scholar Dawusamu</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">New York, USA</div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-25529658162672905052013-10-13T18:08:00.001-07:002013-10-13T18:08:27.561-07:00Fiji Day Week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">Three weeks into my six month marine internship, I have definitely settled well into island life. As interns this week we were given more responsibility around base, including helping with food and medical stock supplies and social media duties. When new people come to base next week we will also be expected to help settle them in and show them round base.</div><div class="MsoNormal">This week was a particularly busy week for us. We had EFR (Emergency First Response) training which is needed for when we do our search and rescue dive qualifications in a few weeks. Also, some of us have started learning survey techniques with the intention to start surveying Monday afternoon, the information we collect is to help local communities create and monitor Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). On Wednesday I went to school with two other volunteers and gave a lesson on conservation of turtles, and after played a game of volleyball with the children. At the end of each week we have fun dives, this week some of us were lucky enough to see white tip reef sharks and a large school of barracuda swim right by us! Fiji day was also this week, where Fijians celebrate their independence, this is a national holiday and on the Friday we were able to go and watch a rugby tournament where local village teams from the Yasawa Islands competed against each other, we were able to enjoy local food and kava with villagers throughout the day. </div><div class="MsoNormal">This weekend most people on base visited the caves on Nabukeru where we got to swim through different caves, swimming underwater through to the spitting cave, which was pitch black, then we had free time to jump off ledges, some were braver than others! Saturday evening was spent with the local families on base, where we had a<i>lovo</i>, which is a traditional Fijian way of cooking food. The food is placed on hot coals in a pit in the ground, covered by leaves and cooked for several hours. The food was amazing, lots of chicken, sausages, pasta and cassava, which was followed by lots of kava late into the night.</div><div class="MsoNormal">So far so good from Fiji, the friends I’ve already made are amazing and in such short space of time we already have many memories! Life is definitely good!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Becky Payne, England</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Marine Intern</div></div>GVI Tovutonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-17058347881813163602013-10-12T15:43:00.000-07:002013-12-18T15:44:24.444-08:00September Achievement Report<div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/192410777/YMST-Achievement-Report-September-2013-GVIFiji" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View YMST Achievement Report September 2013.GVIFiji on Scribd">YMST Achievement Report September 2013.GVIFiji</a> by <a href="http://www.scribd.com/gvinadioffice" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View gvinadioffice's profile on Scribd">gvinadioffice</a></div><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.708006279434851" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_51915" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/192410777/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-lsogobim5lmztgi13az&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-65852481817020130072013-10-07T13:58:00.001-07:002013-10-07T14:00:39.595-07:00Building Joseph's Water Tank Base in the Village of Vuaki<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Building Joseph's Water Tank Base in the Village of Vuaki<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">By Pauline Higgins<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;"Water is our number one issue", Joseph said as we discussed life in his village of Vuaki, which is on the island of Matacawalevu, one of the Fijian islands in the beautiful, remote and dry Yasawa range. &nbsp;Joseph's family had a water tank, but it was sitting on dirt - not good for the longevity of the tank - and it wasn't piped correctly to collect the most water from the corrugated iron roof, so GVI was building him a water tank base.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Joseph asked that the base be built on a section of land by his son's house that was on a slope with a big rock in the middle. &nbsp;This involved a little planning on the part of the GVI Community staff, Mary and Nate, plus volunteers Jim, Michael and Pauline. &nbsp;The tank was measured and the frame boards, which we brought to the site on the boat that morning, were nailed together to make the correct size form for the new base. &nbsp;No cutting of boards though - the excess protruded - so that they could be reused on other bases that needed to be bigger. &nbsp;We started digging and measuring, digging again, pick-axing rocks, removing stones and shoveling dirt, until the hole was the correct size and depth. &nbsp;A bonus!...As we dug, fat, pink, juicy earth worms were exposed, which I very quickly collected in a coconut shell and 'planted' in our newly-dug community garden!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;We had no concrete-making materials at this point, so over the next couple of days, in between other projects, we 'harvested gravel', which meant we picked up lots and lots of 'Mary's right-sized' stones from the beach and put them in sacks. &nbsp;Other preparation involved the laying of plastic sheeting, placing of rocks and rebars in the hole, and of course numerous trips to the beach to collect sand.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;When the day came to actually pour concrete, we made more trips to the beach to collect the last of the sand as well as to bring up the many sacks of gravel that we had collected plus the four bags of cement allotted for this particular base. &nbsp;This was definitely a team effort. &nbsp;The sacks of sand, gravel and cement were heavy, the wheelbarrow wobbly with its punctured wheel, the journey from beach to house long, and the day hot and sticky! &nbsp;We did get help from some of the Fijian young men from Vuaki, which was much appreciated. &nbsp;Those guys are strong!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Joseph had collected water for us in 5-gallon plastic containers. &nbsp;He was a retired carpenter and aside from providing us with this help, he also came up with some valuable tools and, as it turned out, some much-needed cement right at the end. &nbsp;So now all the materials were assembled and it was time to mix and pour concrete. &nbsp;For about the next three hours we mixed and poured, one wheelbarrow-full at a time, until the form was filled and a water tank base emerged. &nbsp;Leveling was the last step and Mary made sure that our base was smooth and level. &nbsp;That's when Joseph's 'found' cement proved to be a god-send. &nbsp;We had come up short just a little bit on cement. &nbsp;Lunch on the family patio that day, cooked for us by Joseph's wife, was especially sweet after all the hard work we had put in and with the satisfaction of having behind us a job well done. &nbsp;We had fun scratching in our names on the edge of the finished product. Jim, Michael and I wrote in our Fijian names - Timoci, Michali and Paulini.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The following day, after our village stay, we removed the wood form, placed the tank on its new base and connected and secured the proper piping. &nbsp;We also cleared up around Joseph's house and moved the excess sand and gravel a little way down to the next water base site. &nbsp;Joseph was well pleased with his 'new and improved' water tank, which hopefully will soon be full of much needed water for him and his family. &nbsp;And guess what? &nbsp;Today, Sunday October 6th, 2013.....it rained!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gItypxeJwLU/UlMgY2ArKoI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/XEWYfxJBOLo/s1600/For+Pauline's+Story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gItypxeJwLU/UlMgY2ArKoI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/XEWYfxJBOLo/s320/For+Pauline's+Story.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div></div>GVI Tovutonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-15893175654911149262013-10-07T13:30:00.000-07:002013-10-07T14:00:56.416-07:00First Impressions of Base and Project Life <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We are two weeks in to our volunteer opportunity at Tovuto Base on Nanuya Lai Lai, in the Northern Yasawas, Fiji.&nbsp; Most, if not all, of us have settled into our accommodations nicely and have begun to call our little Island community home.&nbsp; Shortly after arriving on base, we found our way to our dorms, and since have bonded with fellow dorm-mates.&nbsp; There are three groups on base, Construction, Education, and Marine and during mutual downtime it is an enjoyable experience listening to others talk about their days.&nbsp; We are all placed on rotation teams for cooking and grounds duty, and in this way we have gotten to know most of the others on base regardless of group or dorm.&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As part of the Marine team my days have largely revolved around diving.&nbsp; At first we dove to make sure our skills were adequate, but this was quickly followed by species identification.&nbsp; Currently all of the new Marine members have completed the necessary dives to become Advanced Open Water Certified and are now fine tuning our survey techniques.&nbsp; The main part of our job is to survey reef health both inside and outside of Marine Protected Areas to measure how well the MPAs are working.&nbsp; The Marine team will learn coral, invertebrate, and fish species and search for and identify “target species” to gauge MPA effectiveness.&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-AU">We are here to help the community.&nbsp; Their livelihoods depend on the reefs, and our work will assist both through surveys and, perhaps more importantly, educating students in school.&nbsp; They are the future of Fiji after all.&nbsp; Two weeks in and I’m loving it!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">-Phil Steffes</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">3 month volunteer, Sep-Dec 2013.&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></div></div>GVI Tovutonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-84331165353407170542013-09-25T23:44:00.001-07:002013-09-25T23:48:53.140-07:00Joining the GVI staff team on Babale Base<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">When I received an invitation to spend a year living and working in Fiji presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity. I couldn’t imagine what a turn my life would take. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&nbsp;On arrival in the village of Silana I was greeted with large smiles and “Bula Ellie!” and “…this is Ellie” with knowing looks passed around. It quickly dawned that everyone was expecting my arrival.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I was initiated into the village at the sevusevu ceremony – drinking kava and teased for having a feeble clap, something I am working on. The evening ended with fantastical music and dancing, everyone joining in. &nbsp;Now an official member I began to relax into my new role as both GVI staff and a member of the vibrant and warming community. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbL9s1DK_po/UkPYX2WITBI/AAAAAAAAAZw/H1wMAng-w3U/s1600/Ellie+blog+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sbL9s1DK_po/UkPYX2WITBI/AAAAAAAAAZw/H1wMAng-w3U/s400/Ellie+blog+photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I can only compare my traditional ‘Bule’ accommodation to the house Peter made for Wendy. Its small garden decorated with giant clam shells, a high pitched thatched roof and woven bamboo walls. &nbsp;The sea is only 10 meters from my door and I can hear it gently lapping on the shore at night. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The GVI supports a number of programmes providing assistance to the teachers of Navunisea School, based in Silana village. On Monday morning the new volunteers, and myself, were both eager and nervous for our first day at school. We could not have anticipated such a warm welcome by staff and pupils alike. Coming to school in the morning is a joy. I have spent my first week meeting teachers and pupils, and I am now trying to match all the names with their smiling faces.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">After school the volunteers and I have dinner together or with our new Fijian families. We have trekked through the nearby forest to a secluded waterfall and swimming pool, which was beautifully refreshing on a humid afternoon. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year will bring!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><i>Ellie Hanson - Education Project Leader, Dawasamu</i></span></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-83880756681650443272013-09-19T19:53:00.001-07:002013-09-19T19:58:35.436-07:00My second home <div class="MsoNormal">Nothing could possibly compare to my Silana experience. Living in the village and being so flooded with culture and seeing how genuinely grateful the community are is something I definitely can’t take for granted. Everyday you’re welcomed with the warmest hearts and the biggest smiles and everyone is so willing to help in whatever you may need. For me, teaching in school has been the highlight of my experience – having my own class who are all so eager (and super competitive to learn!) makes teaching even more rewarding. Although to begin with it was scary and challenging, it didn’t take long for me to really feel like part of the school community.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQH3rn8Gjrc/Uju4VTrKDsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/N44AtTCAnA0/s1600/image+(17).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQH3rn8Gjrc/Uju4VTrKDsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/N44AtTCAnA0/s320/image+(17).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">On top of teaching, I also helped out with the community work around the village during the school holidays, and did lots of environmental work guided by the super enthusiastic Kendra! This included building a compost frame up at the school, creating awareness pamphlets for the villagers and planting lots of fruit and veggies in the community garden.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Living in the village also meant I got my own Fijian family who I could visit whenever I wanted, have delicious dinners with or simply just pop in and say “Bula”. On the weekends I was lucky enough to visit Moon Reef which is home to over 70 very playful spinner dolphins which was an unreal sight to see!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Days in Silana fly by, but without doubt they always end with a kava session in the community hall where you can wind down with guitars, silly songs and lots of dancing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My short two month expedition has absolutely flown by and I feel incredibly lucky to now be a part of Silana, and it is now officially my second home! Being part of GVI allowed me to be surrounded by likeminded volunteers and enthusiastic staff who are incredibly passionate about everything that they do. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to make a difference in the most beautiful village in the world.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Serena Prelec, 8 week Expedition Volunteer on Babale Base, Dawasamu</div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-43306401945257148812013-09-12T21:15:00.002-07:002013-10-01T22:55:53.275-07:00August Achievement Report - Waste Management<p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> <a title="View GVI Fiji Achievement Report - Waste Management, August 2013 Updated on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/172656230" style="text-decoration: underline;" >GVI Fiji Achievement Report - Waste Management, August 2013 Updated</a></p><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/172656230/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" scrolling="no" id="doc_86488" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-66090879137384834862013-09-04T17:11:00.000-07:002013-09-04T17:11:02.221-07:00Roses and Thorns<div class="MsoNormal">When people leave Tovuto Base we like to do a little tradition called “Roses and Thorns.” It’s a time for everyone to remember their best, and worst, moments while on the base and share them with the rest of the group. They are quite special because no matter if they are presented like a proper comedy routine, or if the person is crying while they present, they offer a view into someone’s personal experience while somewhere that places them completely out of their comfort zone. Therefore, true to fashion, I am choosing to put myself out of my comfort zone one last time while on base and write my roses and thorns as my final blog. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My first rose is going to start off with a little story about the person I was before this experience… Before I came out to Fiji I remember people asking me many questions- what I was most excited for, what I was going to do, and what I was most scared of. After thinking about it for a while I realized that what I was most nervous for was putting myself in a position where I stood out. I was terrified that as neither a staff member, nor a volunteer, but a scholar (the only scholar), I wouldn’t really fit in anywhere. How wrong I was… After living on this base for three months now I can honestly and truly look back to that period, not so long ago, and laugh at how ridiculous that fear was. From my very first day here I felt welcome, included, and part of a family. I need to thank everyone, and especially the staff for making this so easy for me and welcoming me without question. It made me more confident, independent, and happy with who I am.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another rose I have would be the opportunities I got to experience while I was here. I was able to do so much more than I originally thought and am so grateful for it. My first week here I got to finish the construction on the composting toilets at Ratu Meli Memorial School. With this project finished I was able to move from island to island, with my team, constructing various water tank bases and guttering connections that enabled fresh, accessible, water for countless families. We were able to completely transform a grass and weed patch into a fully functioning and useful garden which has since been harvested and used for a couple weeks worth of school lunches. I went across Fiji and studied dolphins and conservation of a reef which is not only important for ecology, but for the culture of the Fijian people of the area. I was able to scuba dive and saw an ornate ghost pipefish (very rare) on my first dive! When I moved more into the education side of my position I was able to teach classes, do innumerable one-on-one sessions, and make it through a whole semester where I could see the students growth in their studies. I was also able to make an impact in communities by holding presentations and meetings with so many people of so many different walks of life where I learned so much.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I know this seems cheesy but I really, seriously, and honestly have no thorns. When I sat down to write these out the only thing that came to me as a thorn was leaving. I am going to miss absolutely everything about Fiji and about Tovuto Base. &nbsp;I will miss the place, I will miss the culture, but most of all I will miss the people I shared it with. Every single person I have met while here has impacted me in their own special way and I can truly say that I will never forget any of you. This three month period was a moment in time that will soon become a memory, and although I dread that time, I am so happy for the experience that I’ve been blessed to have with all of you. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFEzNRM1MyI/UifLsp00mvI/AAAAAAAAAYw/X7BUfxnnIi8/s1600/P1080371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFEzNRM1MyI/UifLsp00mvI/AAAAAAAAAYw/X7BUfxnnIi8/s400/P1080371.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">So, in conclusion, my real rose is this complete experience, the whole package, which will always be in my heart and in my mind. Vinaka vaka levu Fiji.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Hayley Marshall - 12 week Community Project Scholar</i></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-88849741580709859952013-09-04T16:58:00.002-07:002013-09-04T16:58:40.472-07:00A hike with Class 8<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">There are a lot of fantastic qualities surrounding class 8 that made me extend education for 2 weeks. But, two of the best things about my class and students in the school in general is they are so intrigued by other’s cultures and want to share as much of theirs as possible. They are continually taught to always provide good charity and help those less fortunate than themselves, regardless that they don’t have access to clean drinking water and half their school is still missing from a cyclone, they have never once viewed themselves as people in need but rather put their effort into learning about others.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">During one of our many lunch sessions, in which they consistently try to push food onto me because they swear we don't eat enough, it came up that I enjoy the occasional hike. They informed me we could go on one as a class.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">A few details they failed to mention prior to the agreement to go Wednesday morning: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">1. There is a chunk of the trail that seemed to be at a complete 90 degree angle and I know they know what this means because we JUST finished a chapter on triangles in maths class.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">2. Although leaving in the morning is the coolest part of the day, this is still the tropics of Fiji. So the first hour was in direct sunlight with no breeze all uphill in what must have been 80 degree heat.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">3. Their idea of fun is literally running down the steepest parts of the mountain and peer pressuring me to do so as well. Hysterical, right? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Well regardless of my qualms with the mountains it was still my best day here. The highlight was getting to know some of the shyer kids much better an witnessing all of them assisting my apparently old butt up and over the mountain... <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Louisa took my water bottle and hooked it onto her backpack so my pants would stop falling down... Tema put her headband in my hair because I missed the memo to wrap a sulu around your head to stop the copious amounts of sweat from blinding you... And Vite held my hand the entire way down the steep mountain because I'm pretty sure my not so impressive running skills concerned her too much. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6lSDbvCFwQ/UifIxfWgMQI/AAAAAAAAAYo/02iME_k9Ps4/s1600/249014_10151640086298512_1278696941_n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6lSDbvCFwQ/UifIxfWgMQI/AAAAAAAAAYo/02iME_k9Ps4/s320/249014_10151640086298512_1278696941_n.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">The only downside to the day was when the resort on the other side of the mountain refused to sell us ice cream because they were running low and had guests at full capacity until their next shipment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">But it's okay because we came up with an epic plan to steal a boat, go to a neighboring island's resort, then steal and eat their ice cream all day long. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Sadly we didn't go through with our flawless plan but I did bring in a cake later that week to make up for it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">The last 30 minutes of our over 3 hour hike was down the beach where I was given the prettiest shell.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">We finally returned to the school where I collapsed in the middle of a field, gobbled down an egg bun made by Lice, then shouted "ALL RIGHT LETS GO AGAIN!". . . To I was profusely booed at.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 6.8pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">It's cool though, because deep down I know those angsty teens loved the day as much as me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f03O9ozrFPQ/UifIv3zvQKI/AAAAAAAAAYg/Gzrm0m27Lo0/s1600/999401_10151640082628512_1718995748_n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f03O9ozrFPQ/UifIv3zvQKI/AAAAAAAAAYg/Gzrm0m27Lo0/s320/999401_10151640082628512_1718995748_n.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-58186403473152832802013-09-04T16:53:00.002-07:002013-09-04T16:53:43.305-07:00Construction- A Community Event<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This week on construction was my first time fully completing a water tank project from start to finish. It turns out it’s a lot of work, but definitely worth it! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We started a couple days ago with the menial task of picking up gravel from the beach. Although slightly slow and repetitive I have to say that sitting on a beach in Fiji is not the worst thing to do while volunteering. With ten bags full of beach gravel we began the real work on the base. First the area had to be set for where the location of the base would be. One was chosen close to the church in Naisisili that would allow an easy downpipe hook up to some guttering we had put up earlier in the week. We marked the area and began to dig the ground down in order to level it out. While this was going on Tevita, a local from Naisisili and GVI staff, and I put together a 7x7 wooden frame. This frame was then placed on top of black plastic on the level ground the other volunteers had been working on. It would later be used to hold the cement we would mix to create the base which the water tank would stand on. The next step was placing rebar in a grid position on top of the black plastic and inside the wooden frame. Bigger rocks were then placed on the rebar to hold down the support and ready the area for the concrete.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXDHEHHxDvM/UifHsin_mVI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/4ADt1Iimu4U/s1600/BRsRR1MCYAAIuPn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXDHEHHxDvM/UifHsin_mVI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/4ADt1Iimu4U/s400/BRsRR1MCYAAIuPn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">We began to mix the concrete by adding cement, water, sand, and gravel. While doing this many of the local men came to help and participate in making the water tank base. It was so good to work alongside the people who will be benefitting from the work we put in today in the long run. Getting to know the people and the culture of Fiji has really put a face to the work GVI and many other organizations do around the world. It makes a personal connection to the struggles and beauty that encompass third world countries and the people that come together to try and improve certain situations. We worked with the men for two hours mixing and creating the cement for the tank base. When it was complete and leveled we were invited to a nearby house for tea and pastries. It was so great, after a long days work, to sit with everyone who had worked so closely together, to relax and enjoy each others company with a community who was so happy to have a new and sustainable piece of equipment.&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Hayley Marshall - Community Project Scholar</b></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-63391723787722308222013-09-04T16:48:00.002-07:002013-09-04T16:48:58.482-07:00Sharks, Humpback Whales and a pirate ship<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Since my arrival at the GVI base in Nanuya LaiLai Island I have experienced a new way of life and started a new journey into diving.&nbsp; When I first started the dive internship I was terrified of sharks and did not think I would ever have the courage to be in the same water as them let alone dive with them.&nbsp; The only reason I had this fear was because of what I watched in movies when I was a little girl.&nbsp; However, the opportunity arose to face that fear by going diving with sharks on our fun dive Friday afternoon.&nbsp; A part of me really did not want to do it but I came to the realization that I needed to face this fear at some point because it has been the biggest reason why I don’t like swimming in deep water. On the boat ride over I was really nervous and came close to saying I was just going to wait on the boat but I knew I was going down with a great team, two very experienced divers, Candice and Luke and there was nothing to be afraid of.&nbsp; As I was ascending to the bottom, I looked down and it was one of the most amazing moments of my life, sharks swimming below my feet.&nbsp; Not only were they not dangerous or aggressive but they were so graceful and beautiful. There were five Bull Sharks, two Lemon Sharks, six White Tips, one Black Tip, and four Grey Reef swimming with us.&nbsp; I am so lucky to have had that opportunity to face my biggest fear in my first month of this internship and I am really thankful for getting to be a part of that dive because I conquered my biggest fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After our shark dive while we were all hanging around base waiting for our afternoon dive, Candice, our Marine Science Coordinator, got a call from another dive staff member, Tai, saying he spotted Humpback Whales while he was on the flyer returning to base.&nbsp; The next thing I knew we were on the boat heading in their direction.&nbsp; It honestly felt like a dream; first I got to dive with sharks and now I was heading to go see whales.&nbsp; When I signed up for this trip they did mention we would be here for whale season but I did not think I would be so lucky as to go photograph and observe them.&nbsp; It took a few minutes to spot them but once we did it was a really amazing sight; the water was so calm, the sun was glaring, and in the distance the Humpback’s breached, their backs came out of the water a bit, raised their tails and went back under the water.&nbsp; Everyone, including myself, is so lucky to have been a part of that because we were told there have not been any whales around for over a year and a half.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Once the whales had swam away in the distance we headed to the tall ship called the Alvei that GVI is currently working with and it looks like a pirate ship!&nbsp; The Alvei travels around the Yasawas going to different villages to install water tanks, plant plants, teach in local schools and bring supplies to the villages.&nbsp; The original plan was to bring all of our dive gear and clean the bottom of the ship but since half of our group was out diving with the majority of the tanks we just geared up with our snorkels and started scraping the side.&nbsp; It was surprisingly really fun because the cleaning wasn’t that hard to do and I got to do it with all of my dive buddies.&nbsp; Once we had been working for about two hours and the other divers arrived with dive equipment and tanks we took a break by getting to jump off the mast of the ship as well as the rope swing on the side of the ship.&nbsp; It was a really great way to end this already amazing day.&nbsp; So many great opportunities are arising since the start of this internship that I would never have had the chance to do if I was still back home.&nbsp; I am looking forward to writing more about my experience as the weeks pass.&nbsp; Moce (good-bye) for now!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><i>Danielle Gillard - Marine Conservation Intern</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-88422077420454120262013-09-01T21:02:00.000-07:002013-09-01T21:04:27.969-07:00Harvesting Ratu Meli Memorial School’s vegetable garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Harvesting Ratu Meli Memorial School’s vegetable garden<o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;"><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">The vegetable gardens at RMMS have been a huge success. Not only have they generated food for the students to eat for their lunches but the vegetables have also been sold to Blue Lagoon Resort. With the help of the students, GVI has planted eggplant, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, long bean, French bean, cucumber, pumpkin, coriander, tomatoes, and chilies. While the majority of these vegetables are harvested during each classes gardening time, GVI has now started bringing the excess vegetables or those that the women cooking lunch do not use to Blue Lagoon Resort with the profits going to the school. Blue Lagoon Resort already supports Ratu Meli so it made sense to ask their chef if he would be interested in buying fresh vegetables from the school. Over the school holidays, GVI bought over lettuce and coriander to Blue Lagoon, the chef was really impressed with how fresh the vegetables were and expressed an interest to continue purchasing both items from Ratu Meli. Blue Lagoon normally has their vegetables sent up from the mainland so buying locally not only ensures that their meals are fresher but that they can also continue their support for RMMS. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--0yrTWWzhmA/UiQNlIvCiyI/AAAAAAAAAds/XkpYp2mx4To/s1600/P8200002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--0yrTWWzhmA/UiQNlIvCiyI/AAAAAAAAAds/XkpYp2mx4To/s320/P8200002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/></v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:258pt;height:226.5pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\DANGVI~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg" o:title="IMG_1794" croptop="1006f" cropbottom="21943f" cropleft="1937f" cropright="27390f"/></v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></div></div>GVI Tovutonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-14849594317847009552013-08-13T14:26:00.000-07:002013-08-13T14:26:01.981-07:00Exciting return to Silana Village, Dawasamu<div class="MsoNormal">When I left Silana Village in May after completing a two week Education Program, my experience was amazing enough to know I’d be back again before the end of my six month trip. Only two months later and I’m back in my favorite village on a nine-week scholarship with GVI. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Returning to Silana was even more incredible than I thought it would be. The villagers, who had become a big family to me over those short two weeks, welcomed me back into their homes and their community with such excitement and gratitude; constantly thanking me for returning to their school and families. To hear that they were eagerly awaiting my return reminded me of why Silana is so special to me. The locals care about every person who comes into their village and go above and beyond all measures to ensure they become and feel a valued member of Silana. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3AGlfgk2eDo/UgqjTYJYmiI/AAAAAAAAAX0/9n0boIHz9jE/s1600/P1180240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3AGlfgk2eDo/UgqjTYJYmiI/AAAAAAAAAX0/9n0boIHz9jE/s400/P1180240.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tash running an after-school art &amp; crafts club</td></tr></tbody></table></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s exciting to see the villages progress in terms of becoming a sustainable and self-sufficient community. Since my departure, Community Project Leader Kendra, has been working closely with the villagers in order to develop waste management awareness. After numerous community meetings and presentations focusing on issues such as litter, composting food and packaging items, and new ways to re-use old materials, the community are now using tin collecting bins and composting bins, have begun up-cycling collection projects, an up-cycling income generation initiative for the women’s group, and a GVI community vegetable garden. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My role as a scholar as opposed to a volunteer in the GVI Education program has allowed me to spend time assisting volunteers with lesson planning and classroom management, along with floating between classrooms, preparing resources, and helping out in whatever way I can. Although I also help with administrative tasks, I really love that I still have the opportunity to spend time with the students through taking small and whole class lessons, and one on one reading sessions. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">It’s amazing to be back here in Silana Village, it’s everything that I remembered it to be, and I’m really looking forward to being even more involved in Navunisea District School and the village community. Silana is most certainly a place I feel comfortable and loved, and my home away from home.&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Tash Chow - Community Scholar Dawasamu</i></b></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-2262023910447858992013-08-13T14:15:00.002-07:002013-08-13T14:15:31.318-07:00Science to Action Workshop<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">GVI is works with the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Asset (FLMMA) network to improve capacity building within respective stakeholders, which is the district of Nacula and as a whole the respective communities in the FLMMA sites in Fiji.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This fruitful and successful workshop was developed in order for FLMMA to bridge the science knowledge to communities and improve their understanding. The Science to Action (S2A) workshop was to help communities to identify best practice generated from various field demonstration and exchanged ideas between scientists and local communities as non-scientist to improve site management.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CeG3G4UEHc/Ugqhe7YVTeI/AAAAAAAAAXk/rAzslOwbeOo/s1600/DSC02083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7CeG3G4UEHc/Ugqhe7YVTeI/AAAAAAAAAXk/rAzslOwbeOo/s320/DSC02083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U780GRY0L0M/UgqhbZbhmmI/AAAAAAAAAXU/i9wr0p-dd1c/s1600/DSC02099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U780GRY0L0M/UgqhbZbhmmI/AAAAAAAAAXU/i9wr0p-dd1c/s320/DSC02099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a pleasure as the GVI Marine Research Officer to give two presentations in this two days S2A workshop, which I talked on “Protection of critical marine habitats” and the GVI case study of the four projects running in Fiji.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There was also a rep for the Nacula Yaubula Management Support Team (NYMST), Mr.Sakaraia Navunisinu and he was so delighted to join in the group activities and be part of the S2A workshop. Reps from Kadavu, Vanualevu, Ra , Serua, and Tavua were present so it was a good mix of site sharing for community reps.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SqMIUdIU9Tc/UgqhbFQFuhI/AAAAAAAAAXY/3AlAAQhkA3Q/s1600/DSC02093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SqMIUdIU9Tc/UgqhbFQFuhI/AAAAAAAAAXY/3AlAAQhkA3Q/s320/DSC02093.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All the twenty questions which were raised from the 2009 AGM were all answered by presenters from various organizations. Community reps were very grateful for this type of workshop and asked if they could have more workshops in the future as they learn more inner depth of why they conserve and managed their natural resources. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><b>Taione Delai - Marine Science Officer&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></i> &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4819348250488001058.post-58854133810307062692013-08-06T15:45:00.000-07:002013-08-06T15:45:10.358-07:00I love my job!<div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday, I had one of the best days of my placement yet. As a GVI scholar I have been acting as a staff member for community projects for two months now. This process has been a true learning experience and I will never forget what I have learned along the way, and also the fun that I have had. For me, yesterday represented this whole learning experience, so far, coming together. <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5qAswhDaSD8/UgF7wU_2igI/AAAAAAAAAW4/W5wWf2TLdt8/s1600/P1090178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5qAswhDaSD8/UgF7wU_2igI/AAAAAAAAAW4/W5wWf2TLdt8/s400/P1090178.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It started the same way many mornings here begin, with a boat ride to Nacula Island to start the school day. I remembered the keys, the box, and the lunch (small personal victories) and began the day settling the volunteers back into their classes. Within ten minutes I was notified that the representatives from UNICEF and other local NGOs were coming to the school to discuss and scope out the work we have done for rainwater harvesting. After a moment of nerves I was excited to meet and chat about the exciting things that were going on at Ratu Meli Memorial School. When the representatives arrived at the school Katie, Tovuto Base Manager, and myself introduced ourselves and had a quick chat about the work we had been doing. Everyone seemed excited and impressed about the work that had been done and the plans that were coming together to do more. This was welcome information and made me feel that the work we had been doing was well-worth it. After this quick meeting together it was already lunchtime, time passes quickly here, and we walked down to Nacula village where the ladies make us lunch every Tuesday. After a delicious lunch of homemade Fijian delicacies we were invited to a women’s meeting to discuss a cleaning committee for the school. Speaking with the women in the village was empowering and made me realize once more, that the women here are incredibly strong and driven. We walked back to school and got some proper work done in the classrooms and the library and before I knew it, it was time to head home already.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zwnj24FUZq4/UgF7ybyJrRI/AAAAAAAAAXA/4LynKsdQ5I0/s1600/P1080693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zwnj24FUZq4/UgF7ybyJrRI/AAAAAAAAAXA/4LynKsdQ5I0/s400/P1080693.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When we arrived back at Tovuto Base the monsters (cute kids around base) met us on the beach. They were excited because it was Robbie’s, the smallest monster’s, birthday! Birthday’s are an especially big deal on base and for this one we were notified that a turtle island cake had been ordered. For those of you who have ever had it you understand why it’s such a big deal. It’s so rich and moist and packed with sugar and butter, which are hard to come by on the islands. It is a delicious treat and when it happens to be ordered you know it’s a special occasion. After singing, celebrating, and stuffing our faces I was happy to go back to work and do some basic education training with the new volunteers at the school. After some time going over teaching methods and English language practices it was free time and I began to study for my Open Water, yet another perk of the job. I have wanted to dive since I was 9 years old and now, thanks to the staff on base and the opportunities GVI has given me to experience my scholarship in such a beautiful and tropical place, I can finally get it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Successful day? Ya, I love my job!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><i>Hayley Marshall - Community Scholar</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div>Nadi officehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12395255372144618413noreply@blogger.com0